Job and Career Offers

We have now entered the final stretch of organizing the Bacteria Summer School 2025 from September 24 to 28 in Cologne and have designed a varied and exciting multi-day program that will transport up to 100 students into the world of modern microbiology and bacteria:

https://www.vbio.de/bakterien-summerschool-2025

For the five-day Summer School, there are currently still 20 spots available for adult students of biology and all other life sciences as well as medicine from the 1st semester onwards - the other 80 of the total 100 spots are already sold out and we look forward to a diverse group of participants from all over Germany! Currently, students from bachelor's and master's programs as well as those taking their 1st or 2nd state examination and PhD candidates are registered. The age range currently spans from 19 to 38, so participants can benefit from the experience of older students and engage in interdisciplinary exchange.

Members of VBIO, VAAM as well as GfG, GfE and DGMet can purchase a Summer School spot for €200 under the Early Bird Ticketing, while external participants pay €220! The participation fee includes four overnight stays at DJH Köln-Riehl, full board, logistics, seminar program as well as the supporting program.

Travel to and from Cologne must be organized and financed individually - through the cooperation with Deutsche Bahn (DB), VBIO can offer all participants a discounted DB event ticket from €16.99 (taking into account any individual discounts):

https://www.veranstaltungsticket-bahn.de/?event=29785&language=de

We would be delighted if you or your relatives are interested and could promote the event information once again through university, association or private distribution channels via newsletter, WhatsApp groups, notices etc. - the sooner we can announce "Sold out!" for the Bacteria Summer School, the sooner we will have planning certainty and can initiate the next organizational steps for a successful and sustainable Bacteria Summer School 2025.

For questions or comments, the organizing team can always be reached at bakterien.2025@vbio.de!

MSc thesis in Comparative Quantitative Morphology and Computational Developmental Biology

The research group of Prof. Dr. Kay Schneitz (Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Plant Developmental Biology)

Prof. Dr. Kay Schneitz is looking for a highly motivated young scientist interested in cell biology
and/or plant systematics with a strong affinity for comparative morphometry and
plant evo-devo as well as for interdisciplinary work at the interface of bioinformatics,
advanced confocal microscopy, image processing, 3D computer visualization,
modeling and cell and developmental genetics.

More information here

Contact: Kay Schneitz

Kay Schneitz

TUM Plant Developmental Biology
Masto: @kay@biologists.social
Bluesky: @kschneitz.bsky.social

RNA Binding Proteins & Iron Metabolism Diseases

A PhD position is available in Barcelona starting October–November 2025, focused on RNA Binding Proteins and Iron Metabolism Diseases. The position is particularly suitable for LMU Munich Molecular and Cellular Biology Master's students who started in 2023 and are completing their degree in 2025.

Funding will be applied for via a fellowship in April 2025, with additional support available for international research stays, including at EMBL Heidelberg.

To apply, send an email to Prof. Dr. Mayka Sanchez with the subject line "Predoc position 2025-MS-03", including:

• Motivation letter
• CV
• A list of three referees' emails (only the emails, no reference letters required at this stage)

Prof. Dr. Mayka Sanchez

Professor Titular Agregada and Principal Investigator

Department of Biomedical Sciences

Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Group Website

Evolutionary Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth (Germany) offers a PhD-postion on Parental Care and Microbial Control in Burying Beetles

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate (f/m/d) to investigate how parental care enables Nicrophorus burying beetles to control beneficial and harmful microbial communities during family life. This three-year position is part of an ERC-funded project exploring the socioecology of animal-microbe interactions, focusing on how interactions between animals and microbes shape - and are shaped by - animal social behaviors.

The Challenge. Animals continuously interact with a vast array of harmful and beneficial microbes, and natural selection has shaped sophisticated strategies enabling them to manipulate these interactions. However, we still know little about the role of animal social behaviors in exerting such host control. Burying beetles are ideally suited to tackle this issue, because they show complex social behaviors (parental care) and intimately interact with both beneficial symbionts and harmful environmental microbes during their social (family) life. In this project, we will examine how different parental care strategies (i) enable beetles to mitigate the threat posed by harmful microbes, (ii) affect the transmission of beneficial symbionts to offspring, and (iii) vary across beetle species in their fitness effects and role in host control. The interdisciplinary project will involve an exciting combination of behavioral observations, laboratory and field experiments, as well as the profiling of microbial communities via metabarcoding.

Your Profile. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with:

• A Master's degree (or equivalent) in evolutionary ecology, microbiome science, or a related field.
• A strong interest in social evolution and animal-microbe interactions.
• Prior experience with behavioral experiments and community profiling (desired but not required).
• Proficiency in biostatistics (R) or a high motivation to acquire and improve bioinformatic skills.
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team.
• Good written and spoken English skills.

What We Offer.

• A fully funded 3-year PhD position within an ERC-funded project. Remuneration is based on the German TV-L E13 pay scale [65%] (gross salary: 3009? per month) and includes social benefits such as health insurance and pension contributions (link).
• A cutting-edge interdisciplinary research ecosystem at the University of Bayreuth, which has recently been ranked in the top 5 percent of young universities worldwide (link).
• A vibrant and supportive research environment in a newly established team, hosted at a department with extensive experience in insect rearing, behavioral experiments, and molecular analyses (link).
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for behavioral and microbiome research.
• Funding for conference participation and professional training as well as opportunities for national and international collaboration.
• Living in Bayreuth, a small but bustling university town with a rich history nestled in scenic Upper Franconia, featuring numerous opportunities for outdoor activities and cultural exploration (link).

How to Apply. Applications should include:

• A cover letter (1-2 pages) describing your research interests, motivation, and relevant work experience.
• A detailed CV, including your methodological skillset, B.Sc. and M.Sc. grades, and publications (if any).
• A summary of the Master thesis (max. 500 words).
• Names and email addresses of 2-3 academic scholars who agreed to serve as a reference.

Apply by May 16, 2025, by sending your application as a single PDF to Jos.Kramer@uni-bayreuth.de with the subject: "PhD Application - Parental Care vs. Microbes". The ideal starting date is September 2025.The University of Bayreuth is committed to promoting diversity and equal opportunities. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of background. The working language in our group is English.

For more information, feel free to reach out informally: Jos Kramer